


The First Step

by she_who_the_river_could_not_hold



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Changed it to teen I guess? It’s just sensual kissing but eh haha, F/M, Meet-Cute, Runners, Washington D.C., kind of I guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 17:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18526213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold/pseuds/she_who_the_river_could_not_hold
Summary: Clarke Griffin is not a runner. Or at least she wasn’t until she moved to Washington DC and everyone else seemed to run, so she picked it up too. There was a routine to it that she found settling, something she felt like she needed in her life. Routine was nice and Clarke didn’t like when things changed.Which is why she’s completely thrown off at the sudden appearance of her new neighbor, Bellamy Blake, going for a run at the same time.Nominated for the 2019 BWFA Fluff Nominations Under 8,000 Words





	The First Step

Clarke Griffin is not a runner. Or at least she wasn’t until she moved to Washington DC and everyone else seemed to run, so she picked it up too. After a little while, when her legs didn’t burn too much and her lungs stopped screaming at her, she was even able to admit to herself that she kind of liked it.

 

There was a routine to it that she found settling. While nowhere near as hectic as New York, she still found that there was a sort of frantic energy that wove its way through DC. Only natural for the nation’s capital she supposed. But sometimes it was a lot to deal with and she didn’t want to let alcohol become a crutch for escaping the stress and she’d only experimented with smoking while she had been in art school.

 

So she ran.

 

It had only taken her a couple of months, but she was finally at the point where she could run three times a week and not have her body hate her. Raven was doing her best to coax her into running a half marathon with her, but she kept turning her best friend down. She wanted to keep it solitary for now. It was her chance in the morning to just have time for herself and she was worried that putting the pressure of a race on herself would ruin it. Plus, she probably wasn’t even capable of finishing one with her short distances she was currently at.

 

No one else in her apartment building seemed to wake up that early, so she regularly enjoyed the peacefulness of starting her day with a two mile run, followed by getting coffee at the Starbucks across the street (they had a serious monopoly on the city) and then collecting her mail before really starting her day.

 

Routine was nice and Clarke didn’t like when things changed.

 

Which was why the sudden appearance of her new neighbor in the mornings threw her off.

 

She only knew he was new because the other month when Wells dragged her out for a beer, she had partially spotted him dragging boxes into one of the studios downstairs. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him at the time, mainly trying to not trip over the box of books still in the middle of the hallway. Her glance towards him had been a brief, exasperated one.

 

But suddenly he was showing up everywhere, and more urgently, during her morning run.

 

The first morning, she was finishing stretching and quickly setting up her running playlist when he appeared to the side of her. She nearly jumped out of her skin but he didn’t seem to notice, simply doing that head-nod that men do and before taking off jogging down the sidewalk.

 

Then another morning, she saw the back of him as she pushed open the glass front door to their building. He was fixing one of his shoelaces and she did her best to use every ounce of control to not check him out. Thankfully he had straightened up and spotted her before she could embarrass herself too much. They exchanged an awkward wave once he realized she already had her headphones in and then he took off again.

 

Clarke wasn’t thrilled, but Raven couldn’t figure out the issue.

 

“You don’t own the morning, you know that right?” They were grabbing brunch together and Clarke had just ranted for longer than she should have about her neighbor. Raven gulped back some more of her mimosa and leaned forward. “I mean I get it, he’s got to be weird if he’s waking up at the same time as you. But you haven’t made it clear _why_ you’re so annoyed with him.”

 

Sighing, Clarke placed her own glass down.

 

“I don’t know really. It’s just that my morning run is my time, and now I’m obligated to say hi to him because he’s decided that’s when he wants to run. Also he doesn’t stretch well,” she grumbled under her breath.

 

Raven arched an eyebrow at that and didn’t respond. Clarke squirmed under her friend’s gaze, knowing that she was definitely overreacting about all of this.

 

“He’s in a lot better shape than me too, it’s embarrassing,” she finally admitted. In the times she had checked him out, she’d been able to acknowledge his attractiveness. Though there was no way that with muscles his size that he was a great runner. He didn’t look like one. But he was clearly an athlete and at the ease he took off each time, she’d also realized she was a bit self-conscious. She still didn’t look like she was a runner, and maybe it was all of the surprised looks on her coworkers’ faces when she’d mention how often she ran that had instilled that feeling, but either way she still felt uncomfortable when she saw him. Who knew what he thought of her?

 

Raven stopped mid-bite of her food to give Clarke a soft, if slightly admonishing look.

 

“Clark Griffin. No doubt he sees a hot blonde who like to run in the morning same as him. And at worst he doesn’t pay much attention. You know most people aren’t actually aware of what other people are doing right? Also, you’re not obligated to say hi to him. That’s up to you.”

 

 _Okay, Raven was probably right about that last point. But then she’d feel rude and she’d overthink that more than whatever was going on now_.

 

“Trust me, the way he looks there’s no way he’s single so I doubt he’s checking me out,” was all she said though. Raven rolled her eyes, but changed the subject since it was clear she wasn’t going to be able to convince Clarke to be rational about it.

 

* * *

 

Clarke cursed as she scrambled to find her headphones in her room. If she wanted to get her usual miles in, she knew she had to leave now so she would still have time to shower before heading into work. But running without headphones was also her worst nightmare –– she had no desire to listen to herself breathing heavily, thank you very much.

 

It was looking like a lost cause though, which meant she needed to get over herself and just head downstairs.

 

She was too busy checking the time on her watch to pay attention to where she was going, swinging open the door from the stairwell and walking straight into something.

 

The noise of surprise indicated it was in fact, a someone.

 

And there was only one other person in her apartment who also got up that early.

 

“Oh shit, sorry,” she managed to say, taking in the sight of her neighbor in front of her. He laughed, flashing white teeth against his rich, tan skin. He was definitely even more attractive up close than she had initially realized.

 

“You’re fine, I’ll only never be able to walk again,” he replied lightly and she echoed his smile, her shoulders relaxing once she realized he wasn’t mad.

 

_Had he always been that tall?_

 

They fell in step together as they walked to the lobby area and Clarke told herself it made sense since they were going in the same direction. It would have been much weirder to hang back and tell him to walk in front of her (as if he’d somehow know she had ranted about him just days before).

 

“You don’t have your headphones,” he commented, breaking her out of her thoughts.

 

“Yeah I couldn’t find them this morning. Which means now I’ll have to hear what everyone else hears when I wheeze and try not to pass out.”

 

He chuckled at that. “Well, you probably shouldn’t have them in anyway.” Her smile dropped into a frown at his point. “You know traffic and everything?”

 

But before she could form any sort of rebuttal against him telling her what to do, he gave her a slight wave and began to jog down the street.

 

He turned around though before he got too far, a mischievous grin on his face.

 

“Good luck on your run Princess!” He called over his shoulder, before disappearing beyond the bushes.

 

Her jaw dropped at the nickname, fully aware that they didn’t actually know each other’s names, but offended all the same. Or at least she was until she looked down and remembered she was wearing the tank top from Harper’s bachelorette party –– sequined silver crown on it and everything.

 

* * *

 

“Which route do you normally go?”

 

It was the next week and while Clarke hadn’t seen her neighbor on her Saturday run, he was back this Tuesday morning. And now that they had spoken once, it was hard not to have a brief conversation before they went their separate directions. She kept telling herself it was to be polite, but since their first brief exchange she had found herself waffling on her dislike of seeing him in the early mornings.

 

“I run to the Washington Monument and back,” she replied, trying to play up her confidence. She was back to being aware of how good of shape he was in thanks to the tight shirt he was wearing today, as opposed to the looser one he had been wearing previously.

 

“Brave Princess,” he teased, bringing back her nickname and making her roll her eyes. “Dealing with all of those tourists.”

 

“It’s not that bad,” she huffed. “It’s early, none of the school groups are out yet.”

 

He hummed in understanding. _School tour groups were the worst right after the segway ones._

 

“You should try running more north. More of a neighborhood feel, plus less stop lights. I like it a lot more than any of the paths by the monuments.”

 

He said it casually so Clarke fought to keep a straight face. Even though she was pretty certain he had just referenced her joining him for a run, or at least going in the same direction as him which would essentially mean they’d be running together.

 

“How far do you normally go?” She figured she might as well ask before she got her hopes up.

 

He sighed, ruffling the hair at the back of his neck. He was standing on the sidewalk with her while she stretched out her calves, the sun already beginning to peak out at them. If they were going to keep this up, she had feeling they were both going to need to start their mornings a little earlier than normal. It was surprising how natural this felt between them, as if they’d been starting their mornings out like this for ages.

 

“I’m stuck at around five miles right now. I used to play soccer growing up, so it was easy when I first got back into running but now I’ve plateaued,” he said with a grimace.

 

She choked back a laugh.

 

“That’s more than twice as far as I can go, so I’m going to have to say it probably won’t happen in that case.”

 

“Maybe you just need better motivation,” he offered and she felt herself blush. She was absolutely imagining his already rough voice getting deeper.

 

“Plus you could always loop back sooner than I do,” he hastily added as if he knew where her thoughts were straying, trying to reassure her of the platonic nature of his offer.

 

She nodded slowly. If he was ahead of her, she probably would put more effort into keeping up a good pace, not dissimilar to whenever someone at the gym got on the treadmill next to her. Clarke couldn't help it, she was a competitive person. And it almost seemed silly for them to always run at the same time but not together.

 

“Are you free Saturday morning? I usually run around 8AM if that works for you.” She prayed he was a morning person every day of the week.

 

“That’s perfect,” he said and _god damn it no one’s smile should be that contagious_. “I’ll see you then.”

 

He was about to leave when a thought quickly crossed her mind, a small noise coming from her throat and making him pause.

 

“I guess if we’re going to run together I should know your name,” Clarke gave him a teasing smile, her hands hovering by her ears before she put her headphones in.

 

He smiled back at her, already jogging in place. “I’m Bellamy. Bellamy Blake.”

 

* * *

 

Saturday morning came with faint blue skies and the smell of last night’s rain (with just a hint of pollen). It was arguably the perfect spring day to go running, the humidity just enough at bay that it wouldn’t make it unbearable.

 

“This is going to be terrible,” Clarke groaned after Bellamy described the route they were going to take.

 

“But think about how awesome you’re going to feel afterwards.”

 

“I’m going to slow you down.”

 

Bellamy sighed, squaring himself up towards her. He was wearing a faded, navy blue Ark University shirt and it was nearly criminal how well he pulled it off. He was effortlessly casual in sharp comparison to what felt like the entire population of the city and it only drew her more towards him. But she couldn’t even focus on how attractive she found him as she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet, chewing at her lip nervously.

 

“Clarke, it’s fine. I need help with my pacing anyway and having you with me will help me pay more attention to that,” he said gently.

 

Her eyes flicked from the road back to his face as he stared earnestly at her. He seemed genuinely excited to run with her and not at all worried about her falling behind. It was endearing and she found herself trusting him. She _could_ do this. He’d shortened the length to three miles anyway for her, something she hadn’t even thought to ask him to do. It was still a mile further than she normally did, but his confidence in her was starting to make her believe she could do it.

 

She shook out her limbs and gave him a shaky smile.

 

“Let’s do it then.”

 

“Together,” he added, his smile wide as he looked down at her.

 

Bellamy’s route was absolutely better than hers by a long shot. Once you’ve lived in DC long enough, seeing the monuments becomes a lot less exciting and Clarke had reached that point, primarily using them as markers for distance. Instead, they ran in the opposite direction from the chaos of the more touristy sections. In this direction the sidewalks weren’t as smooth, but the streets were void of giant groups and patrolling security for the White House. Overgrown trees from before the city’s boom in population shaded the two of them and rowhouses nestled against each other.

 

It was almost distracting as they ran, Clarke taking in the sights and being blown away that this was the same city she experienced day to day. She was aware of the different sides to it but hadn’t explored enough yet, making a mental note to come back here another day with Wells so he could photograph some of the houses.

 

Bellamy ran just in front of her after she urged him that it was okay. They were tethered together though, him keeping a steadier pace than normal and her encouraged to push herself to not walk too much.

 

“I forgot to warn you, this next part is a bit uphill,” he called back, having the graciousness to look at least a little apologetic.

 

That didn’t stop her from squeaking in surprise as they began the climb alongside the park to their right.

 

“You” _pant_ “absolute” _wheeze_ “bastard.”

 

Clarke’s thighs burned as she pushed herself forward, doing her best to stay light on her feet and not completely just pound them into the cement. Sweat clung to her forehead and she could feel it rolling down her back as well now. What had been a normal spring day seemed twice as humid with this incline. But the sight of Bellamy just ahead, turning around occasionally to cheer her on, was enough to keep her going. She was determined to make it the whole up before walking.

 

“You’re so close!” Bellamy yelled, not at all bothered by the couple he scared as he called down to her.

 

 _One foot in front of the other Clarke,_ she ranted at herself, _just get to the top._

 

With a final burst of adrenaline and desperation, she finally found herself reaching Bellamy who let out a whoop as she nearly collapsed at his feet.

 

“Whoa there Princess, stay upright. You want to keep your head up.” The affection in his voice was obvious this time as he gently pressed adjusted her posture to stop her from folding over with her head between her knees.

 

“I just need to walk… a block or so,” she huffed out. “But I made it!”

 

Looking back behind her, she was startled to see how steep it had actually been. And she had somehow managed to run the whole damn thing. And as Bellamy reminded her while they walked, it was going to be downhill on the way back.

 

The rest of the run ended up being easier than she expected, especially now with that uphill climb out of the way. Her legs still felt heavy as her muscles contracted, but she was on such a runner’s high that they didn’t even bother her. And the run back down felt amazing as she nearly caught up to Bellamy, the slope propelling her forward. And when they reached the apartment again, she somehow didn’t feel like she was going to die.

 

Bellamy triumphantly held up his wrist, showing her the face of his watch.

 

“Forty minutes! You said you normally were doing two miles in thirty? That means––”

 

“That I shaved nearly two minutes off each mile!” Clarke finished with a gasp, jumping up in down in excitement before grabbing Bellamy in a tight hug.

 

Immediately realizing what she had done, she embarrassingly pulled back and pushed some of her sweaty hair back out of her face. Luckily, Bellamy hadn’t seemed to mind the hug and continued to congratulate her as they made their way back into the building.

 

Clarke held the stairwell door open as someone else came through, Bellamy equally standing in his doorway.

 

“I told you that you just needed the right motivation,” he said, a smug tone creeping into his voice. Clarke laughed.

 

“Oh so now you’re taking credit for my natural athletic abilities?”

 

“Hey, I’m a great coach. I’ll have you running up beside me in no time,” he boasted, giving her a cocky grin as he stretched his arms overhead.

 

She couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering, hoping he mistook the redness on her face from just the run once she realized he had noticed her staring.

 

They continued to drag out the goodbye until Clarke knew she had to go shower and start her day. But it was hard to leave him just yet.

 

“Do you want to go get drinks tonight? One of my favorite bars is right around the corner.” She had blurted out the question before she even had thought it all of the way through.

 

Bellamy paused in his door frame with his hand ready to close the door, staring at her contemplatively. Her heart thudded against her ribcage as she waited for his response. It was silly to be this nervous; in all of her past relationships she had been the one to initiate them. But something about Bellamy made her feel like this was her first crush all over again.

 

Her nerves disappeared though as a slow, crooked smile appeared on his face.

 

“See you at nine?”

 

* * *

 

Eighties rock music played faintly through the speakers, a jukebox tucked alongside the far left wall as they walked down the stairs into the bar. Even for a Saturday, it wasn’t packed and Clarke knew that with the arrival of nicer weather, most people had fled to rooftop bars. She stuck it out here though, enjoying the air conditioning and relaxed atmosphere. A slightly peeling wall mural decorated the interior and warm-toned lights completed the atmosphere.

 

Bellamy hummed in approval as he eyes swept across their surroundings.

 

“I can’t believe I haven’t been here yet,” he said, clearly impressed with her choice.

 

She smiled, proud of herself for introducing him to something. And it wasn’t like she would have taken it personally if he hadn’t liked it, but it was really nice that he enjoyed the same vibes as she did.

 

After ordering their drinks, a glass of Pinot Grigio for her and a craft beer for him, they settled in at one of the high top tables near the back. It was a bit quieter, away from the people playing pool.

 

“So Bellamy Blake,” she let his name roll off of her tongue. “Tell me something about yourself.”

 

“There’s no way you’re just a generic small talk type of girl.” He had that grin on his face again that drew her in closer to him, a heat flushing across her cheeks. He had to realize how attractive he was.

 

“Okay fine, I’ll give you some jumping off points,” she countered primly. “You can either talk about your family, what you do for a living, or… what being a soccer player was like.”

 

That hadn’t been her original third point, but for some reason it had sprung to mind. Memories of growing up with the TV on, joining her dad as he yelled at allegedly unfair red cards and close penalty kicks, made her nostalgic to talk about soccer again. It had been years since he had died and there had been no one to watch it with since then. None of her friends since middle school had been interested in the sport, and it had faded in her mind as she grew up. Now she had Bellamy though and it was an odd marriage of her past with her current life.

 

He let out a chuckle, making himself more comfortable in his chair.

 

“Well it was hard, I always was bothered as a kid that there wasn’t a national league for soccer in the Philippines, though they have one now. Obviously it’s not a predominantly white sport in the rest of the world, but growing up as one of the few minorities in a small city in Virginia, I think it would have helped my confidence as a player,” he said, tipping his beer back and taking a sip.

 

Clarke studied closely over the rim of her wine glass.

 

The seriousness that had overtaken Bellamy’s expression flitted away though as he smiled proudly. “That didn’t stop me from helping my high school win state my junior and senior year.”

 

“Shut up!” Clarke playfully smacked him on the arm. “That’s amazing! You’ve been downplaying yourself this entire time, you ass. I didn’t realize I was in the presence of a star.”

 

He laughed, clearly blushing now. They’d barely had any full conversations together but she could tell that he wasn’t good with taking compliments. She mentally made a note to herself to find a way to squeeze some in every time they talked. While she might not have been great at giving herself them either, she usually had no problem spoiling her friends with them. And that’s what he already was to her, a friend.

 

Well… maybe something more if the butterflies in her stomach indicated anything.

 

The butterflies returned later when he got up to add their combined loose change to the jukebox, his hand squeezing hers as he stood up to walk over. She’d felt her cheeks burn separately from the wine and she hadn’t been able to help herself as she watched him study the music, his brows furrowed in deep concentration and fingers drumming against the machine. No doubt other people at the bar checked him out as well, but when he only seemed to have eyes for her as he walked back to their table with their queue of songs beginning.

 

His joke about small talk ended up being for naught as they easily slipped into deeper conversations. He finished telling her what it was like growing up as a biracial young man in a town that struggled to recognize it, leaving him always on the defensive side. How his younger sister had been his closest family, but that the closeness had almost torn them apart as she rebelled against it the older she got. No one knew how to get under each other’s skin better than family, a feeling that Clarke knew all too well. They were apparently on the mend though, calling every other week to catch up as Octavia finished up a retreat in Montana, channeling her intense emotions she had bottled up into helping build houses for those in need.

 

Bellamy blushed after telling her all of this, mumbling something about not usually opening up to people like this.

 

So she tentatively reached across and placed her hand on top of his, just briefly and he seemed to relax again. And in exchange, she spilled about her own childhood. The isolating days and then the suffocation that came after the car crash that killed her father and nearly her.

 

When she finished, her voice was shaky and tears had pricked at the corner of her eyes. If Bellamy had been surprised at his own openness with her, she was equally if not more so surprised with her own. Emotions had always been a weakness in her family and sabotaging in her relationships. But not with Bellamy.

 

“Hey,” he said gently, reaching out and gently bopping her on the nose, drawing an unexpected giggle from her. “No crying allowed. Let’s cheer ourselves up.”

 

That translated to getting another round then sneaking in a shot that they were both probably too old to do. Clarke clutched her stomach in stomach in laughter as Bellamy reacted with a whole body shake to the whiskey he had knocked back.

 

“You’re a pro,” he rasped in response.

 

“Party girl in college,” she followed up with in way of explanation, smirking as they returned to their seats.

 

From there the conversation returned to more light-hearted topics. And Bellamy somehow convincing her to try and run a 5K soon. She didn’t completely agree to it, but he seemed to have a special talent for knowing just how to convince her.

 

A yawn caught in her throat though and Bellamy finally looked down at his watch, his eyebrows shooting up at the time.

 

“I’m an old man, I can’t remember the last time I stayed out this late,” he laughed. “O would be so impressed with me right now.”

 

The bar was only about five minutes from their apartment building and it was the longest time that Clarke had every spent arguing with herself about holding someone’s hand.

 

She didn’t end up doing it.

 

But they did casually bump into each other as they walked, their tipsy laughter spilling out into the night air and mingling with the sounds of rooftop bars and traffic. At one point Clarke nearly tripped on the brick sidewalk and Bellamy caught her at her waist, not letting go until the crosswalk signal turned. She had relaxed into his grasp and tried to not be too disappointed when he let go.

 

After buzzing them in, Bellamy did a sweeping bow as he held the door open _for the Princess_.

 

Clarke shook her hair back and straightened her posture, turning to wave to imaginary crowd as she stepped in. He quickly caught up to her, the two of them fighting to not make too much noise as they walked down the hall. As they reached his door they paused, each leaning against the wall, laughing softly with each other as they both realized neither was prepared to say goodnight, while still trying to be mindful of the neighbors that might be actually trying to sleep.

 

“I guess walking you to your door isn’t as romantic when we live in the same apartment building,” Bellamy said lowly, a smirk gracing his features.

 

“It’s the thought that counts,” Clarke whispered as she grinned back at him, the warmth of the wine and his stare flowing through her body.

 

They were leaning in towards each other and while she had really grown to like Bellamy in the mornings, this might have become her favorite version of him. Relaxed and casual, his frame nearly boxing her into the wall as he reached out, a finger ghosting the edge of her ear as he tucked some of her hair behind it. She’d only had two glasses of wine and that one shot over the span of a couple hours, but she felt intoxicated by him alone.

 

He opened his mouth and paused, his eyes flicking to the door to his place behind her.

 

“You could just come in to my place,” he finally offered. His voice had grown gruffer and she felt her body respond to it, nearly falling into him as she stepped closer to him.

 

“I think I’d like that,” murmured Clarke.

 

Like magnets, they circled around each other so that Bellamy could open the door. He nearly dropped the keys as he struggled to keep his eyes on her as well as unlocking his place, eventually swinging it open and gesturing for her to enter.

 

The door had barely shut behind them when they returned to each other’s side. Even though Clarke’s craving for his touch was only growing stronger, they moved slowly. Like they didn’t want to disrupt whatever this moment was, a connection they had already built within roughly a week of knowing each other. They didn’t want this to break.

 

“Would you mind if I kissed you?” The words softly fell from his lips as he leaned over her and the smell of beer and faint cologne enveloped her.

 

She couldn’t find it in herself to say anything without sounding too desperate, so instead she nodded yes and pushed herself onto her tiptoes to get closer to him. As if he need her closer too, his hand reached out and settled on her hip, steadying her against him. His curls brushed against her forehead and she tilted her head back so that her lips were angled towards him. Her eyes lazily focused on the scar just above his top lip before fluttering shut.

 

Their breath had barely begun to mingle when her stomach suddenly growled, interrupting their silent dance with each other.

 

She felt more than heard Bellamy’s laugh, his head angling just slightly off its path to rest his forehead against hers. Her eyes reopening, Clarke smiled sheepishly and lowered herself from her toes.

 

“I have some popcorn?” He offered, eventually pulling away from her and taking his body heat with him. His hand trailed from her waist though as if he wanted to stay connected with her at all times. If it wouldn’t have been weird, she would have stayed latched to him. But the alcohol running through her and the apparent food cravings that had followed it won, so she nodded and let him move to his cupboards to get the snack for them. Blushing and doing her best to straighten herself out, Clarke looked around the apartment.

 

In the brief time that Bellamy had been living here, he’d managed to decorate it quite a bit. An overflowing bookshelf was crammed into one corner and a stack of video games and movies were scattered by the small TV. There were elements of rustic and modern, the worn brown leather couch in contrast against the sleek black framed bed tucked in the back of the studio. She had barely begun to investigate the book titles when she felt arms lock around her from behind, sweeping her up and spinning her.

 

“Popcorn’s ready,” Bellamy mumbled into her hair, his lips pressed against her. She hummed, inhaling the smell of butter and realizing she had missed the sound of the microwave going off.

 

“But first,” he stopped her as she started to grab the bowl. “I want to finish what I started.”

 

She was about to tease him some more when his lips stopped her, finally kissing her.

 

While softer than she had been expecting, Bellamy’s lips were still firm against hers as if he was trying to convey through the kiss how much he had wanted this. She sighed into it, pushing herself further into it as she tangled her hands in his.

 

They broke apart, noses brushing as they remained tightly in each other’s arms.

 

“Not a bad first date,” she said quietly as she brushed some of her lipstick off of his lips. He dropped a light kiss to her thumb, chuckling to himself.

 

“First date? What was this morning’s run then?”

 

Clarke laughed at that, finally letting Bellamy release her so that he could grab the bowl of popcorn that was still sitting tantalizing next to them. With a nod of his head, he had her move to the couch where they settled in, sitting cross-legged with the bowl between them.

 

“Definitely not a date,” Clarke insisted between bites. “That was like a pre-date. But if you want next Saturday to count as one…”

 

She trailed off, hoping that all signs had been correct and that he wanted this to be something serious. Judging by the kiss he leaned over and planted on her, his lips buttery from the popcorn, that was a yes.

 

And Clarke decided that she really did like running after all.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> You know fics that just develop a life of their own? That was definitely this one. It was heavily inspired by own my experience running! And the hill that Clarke struggles up is actually the worst ever. Thanks for checking it out and I hope you liked this oneshot!


End file.
